Rosneft in talks with Belneftekhim over gas supply for Belarus refineries

9/17/2013

By JAMES MARSON

MOSCOW -- Belarus's state-owned petrochemicals firm said it was in talks to receive natural gas from Rosneft, as the world's largest listed crude producer tries to expand its gas business.

Belneftekhim said its CEO, Igor Zhilin, has held talks with Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin on potential gas supplies for Belarusian refineries, as well as oil deliveries.

Gazprom is the only Russian firm allowed by law to export gas. The government is planning to allow other producers to export liquefied natural gas, but not gas via pipelines. Belarus receives its gas from neighboring Russia via a pipeline.

Rosneft has set out an ambitious plan to increase its share of the domestic gas market, currently dominated by Gazprom, as well as building an LNG plant to export to Asia.